Moon was covered in molten 'magma ocean' after formation: Study

ISTANBUL

A Chinese study found that the Moon was wholly covered by a molten “magma ocean” in the early phases of its formation.

A study by the China National Space Administration, published in the journal Science, analyzed lunar samples from the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

The basalt samples, aged 2.823 billion years, align with the lunar magma ocean model, which suggests that the early moon was covered by a global magma ocean, with minerals crystallizing to form the crust and mantle, and a KREEP, potassium (K), rare earth elements (REE) and phosphorus (P) layer forming from incompatible elements.

"Our analysis showed that the KREEP layer exists on the moon's far side as well. The similarity in basalt composition between the far and near sides indicates that a global magma ocean may have spanned the entire moon," said Che Xiaochao, a researcher at the institute.

Since the far side had not been sampled before, the model remained incomplete until now.

Another researcher, Long Tao explained that asteroid impacts caused different evolutionary processes on the near and far sides of the moon.

Tao said: “The moon was once covered by a global magma ocean, but later bombardments of asteroids caused different evolution processes on the near and far sides."

Tao also noted that this discovery could help us understand our planet better, reported Xinhua News Agency.